1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat panel fuel cell, and more particularly, to a method of improving the contact between bipolar plates and membrane electrode assembly of a flat panel fuel cell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell in which a free energy change resulting from a fuel oxidation reaction is converted into electrical energy. Fuel cells utilizing methanol as fuel are typically called Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs), which generate electricity by combining gaseous or aqueous methanol with air. DMFC technology has become widely accepted as a viable fuel cell technology that offers itself to many application fields such as electronic apparatuses, vehicles, military equipment, the aerospace industry, and so on.
DMFCs, like ordinary batteries, provide DC electricity from two electrochemical reactions. These reactions occur at electrodes (or poles) to which reactants are continuously fed. The negative electrode (anode) is maintained by supplying methanol, whereas the positive electrode (cathode) is maintained by the supply of air. When providing current, methanol is electrochemically oxidized at the anode electrocatalyst to produce electrons, which travel through the external circuit to the cathode electrocatalyst where they are consumed together with oxygen in a reduction reaction. The circuit is maintained within the cell by the conduction of protons in the electrolyte. One molecule of methanol (CH3OH) and one molecule of water (H2O) together store six atoms of hydrogen. When fed as a mixture into a DMFC, they react to generate one molecule of CO2, 6 protons (H+), and 6 electrons to generate a flow of electric current. The protons and electrons generated by methanol and water react with oxygen to generate water.
In terms of the amount of electricity generated, a DMFC can generate 300-500 milliwatts per centimeter squared. In general, conventional DMFCs are comprised of numerous basic cells and each cell only carries a limited amount of working voltage. Consequently, the cells need to be stacked together in order to achieve a required level of operational voltage.